I seldom visit the St. Josephs Oratory because it hurts my knees.I need practice before kneeing my way up a long flight of stairs.
This has led me to a few unfortunate training accidents while attempting to knee-walk on the StairMaster.
There was some serious talk of installing a giant escalator in 1949. But the good lord did not smile on that plan.
Another thing they never got around to: building an observation deck at the top.
There had been talk about four years ago that such a deck was going to installed by 2013.
That plan seems to have been quietly shelved.
Such a deck would offered a tremendous (did you actually use the word tremendous? Chimples) view onto the millionaires' backyards below and you might even have some some beaver at Beaver Lake from that amazing vantage point. I'll text the Cardinal to see if there's been any progress on that.
Meanwhile I'm attaching this second photo as a public service announcement about message T-shirts.They really have no place in church.
T-shirts with wacky messages appear to be back in style as seen in these recent nightclub photos posted by Le Homard.
But I just want to reiterate that Presbyterian ministers don't like seeing them much, as I learned the hard way. I would imagine the same goes across the board for all religions. So try wearing something with more buttons and less letters if you're heading into some sort of religious thing.
You are so right. All religions objected to the popular T-shirt - “Get-F’d”.
ReplyDeleteAbout the escalator at the Oratory. The idea was cancelled because of the high insurance rate for accidents. Apparently an example of one of the worst accidents was caused by what was described as, “The Longest Accident In The World”, which happened when a guy fell “down ” - an “up going” escalator.
Ouch - that hurts! Non?
The slow, silent elimination of Montreal's former observation decks has been discussed in this blog more than a few times.
ReplyDeleteThe so-called "insurance risk" explanation may be no more than a lame excuse, however, for historically, what were the real risks of a visitor attempting suicide, accidentally falling to their deaths or serious injury from one of our high spots? Shall we shut down Mount Royal's lookout just because some reckless, drunken tourist foolishly climbed up on the barrier and fell to his death? Shall we close the Olympic Stadium's observation tower if someone's unsupervised kid gets his or her hand caught in an escalator?
Visit just about any major city in the world and there is an observation point of some kind: radio/TV tower, monument, lighthouse, or high-rise building from which a panoramic view can be obtained.
St. Joseph's Oratory had perhaps too many pie-in-the-sky projects planned, anyway, including a new restaurant, bigger carillon, and additional landscaping, but thus far these have put these on hold indefinitely, including the dome and cupola access. Shame on them for building up everyone's hopes.
Over a year ago, I emailed the person responsible at St. Joseph's Oratory and received a non-committal reply as to when their long-promised dome and cupola access would occur. My second, follow-up email was ignored, although miraculously they DID install a webcam on the cupola, despite initially stating that it was "technically impossible" to do so.
If climbing long flights of stairs is detrimental to one's health, then it is not the responsibility of the venue to assume any liability. As is already done elsewhere, simply post warning notices. When in doubt, don't climb.
Are we to ban roller-coasters as well? There's always going to be a suicidal person or reckless idiot who plunges into Niagara Falls. Should they erect a 12-foot fence there, too? How effective would that be, anyway?
Over the decades, how many aged, ailing pilgrims have dropped dead on the already existing, wooden stairs of St. Joseph's?
If "insurance paranoia" is to rule the day, then why not simply remove the stairs entirely, replace them with the grassy slope, and require all visitors, young and old, to use a car, taxi, or take the shuttle bus to the entrance?
And what about the tower at the University of Montreal? Why has it been off-limits to the public from the very beginning? Is it fear of a terrorist act or deranged sniper, such as the incident back in 1966 at Austin's University of Texas?
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
Why can't the U of M install a webcam, at least?
The fact that access already exists for the maintenance crews of the two aforementioned observation points means that tourist revenue could be generated for those willing and able to make the climb right now.
Even this limited approach would draw more visitors than ever before, until such time as they get their act together and install the elevator to reduce the total number of stairs for those not as spry?
No money? Is it because the Catholic Church has been so under siege lately due to the recent scandals that they dare not spend their "limited funds" on non-essential projects?
Then why not canvass our deep-pocketed billionaires to donate some of their outrageous wealth?
By the way, I have already asked CTV's Forbidden Montreal program if they would send reporter Annie DeMelt up the stairs to our various, closed-to-the-public locations, so let us see that happens.
After all, who could refuse lovely Annie?
Correction:
ReplyDeleteSt. Joseph's Oratory has a videocam screen display in the east wing of the Crypt showing a panoramic view from the cupola, but for some unexplained reason it is NOT viewable from their website.
Furthermore, the screen is not always switched on.
Are God's humble servants slacking off?
And this just off the presses:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/paris-police-evacuate-1-400-eiffel-tower-amid-204855347.html
Speaking of observation decks, albeit not in Mtl.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.businessinsider.com/one-world-trade-center-observation-deck-2013-4#you-can-see-the-entire-city-from-the-vantage-point-1
The St. Joseph's Oratory website has finally (!) included the breathtaking video of the "Panoramic view from the future Observation Centre"--the flat-screen version of which is still viewable inside the eastern entrance of the Crypt (for those who may be unaware). See:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.saint-joseph.org/en/sanctuary/developments/renovation-project
Public access via elevator to the Oratory's cupola is supposed to occur sometime in 2017, but don't hold your breath as we've heard these promises before. The Oratory has a history of delayed projects, presumably based on funding issues. Are the proposed new restaurant and larger carillon in limbo or cancelled altogether?
Meanwhile, another high spot--Place Ville Marie's Altitude 737 restaurant-disco-lounge--was closed (again!) in 2012, despite the fact that its website still exists; although in French only, which by itself is obviously user-unfriendly to English-speaking tourists who are presumably expected to click the Google "translate this page" button. (How many actually do that, anyway in order to read the often resulting gobbledegook?) Indeed, why does their website even continue to exist at all, complete with a phone number that reaches no one?
Strange that PVM can't seem to lure a reliable, big name restaurant or entrepreneur willing to open up this prime location and do it right for once. Go figure.
Does anyone know what actually replaced the wonderful observation deck which used to be at the top of the Commerce Bank building and why isn't there one inside the 51-storey 1000 de La Gauchetiere?
The Marriott Chateau Champlain still has a restaurant on its roof, but it no longer revolves. Same with the Delta Centre Ville. Too cheap or too lazy to repair them?
One has to wonder if this city has developed a fear of heights in recent decades. :-(